Darkness, My Old Friend

"Sadly, in demonizing the dark,  we have deprived

ourselves of all the treasures that it holds."

Clark Strand

Waking Up To The Dark

Darkness has taken on a persona of evil or negativity, ignoring the many positives it can offer. Shadow work or Dark Night of the Soul infers digging out or enduring the negativity within.  We tend to elevate the sense of light and denote the essence of the dark.

Historically, darkness offered larger periods of rest, higher awareness of configurations in the sky, and   more ease with intimacy.  Electricity, more specifically light,  has extended work hours, exposed our eyes to higher levels of brightness than necessary, and created a lengthier period of time to 'shut down' prior to sleep.

Our ancestors turned to sleep much earlier than we do and frequently woke up at mid-night.  They would remain in a state of suspension until they fell back asleep for the second portion of their rest.  The pause in between these two sections of sleep was regarded as a time to communicate with God, Goddesses, Deceased Relatives, or a time to just 'be' open to holiness.  Often times monks would pray nightly  hours  as they felt closer to divinity during the darkness.

Many people currently complain of not being able to get to sleep.  Their eyes have been overly stimulated as well as their brains.  There is also the problem of waking in the middle of the night.  Some may get up and eat, or clean, or read or watch television until they are ready to fall back asleep.  Our bedrooms may have night lights, television or computer screens glowing with brightness.

Our desire for solitude reflects our loss of middle of the night darkness.  Meditation is a substitute for a time we once experienced in the night of ancient times.  It would be beneficial if we would go to bed earlier in a darkened room to be in perfect stillness.  If we happen to wake in the night, we can open our hearts and minds to what may be offered by saying, "Welcome darkness, my old friend."